A comparison of cervical flexion, pain, and clinical depression in frequency of Smartphone use

Abstract

In the past decade, there has been a rapid increase in the use of mobile phones and other small hand-held devices for communication. A forward head posture (turtle neck posture) is becoming more common with the increasing popularity of smartphones. The aim of this study was to evaluate the craniovertebral angle, head position angle, pain threshold of the sternocleidomastoid and upper trapezius muscles, and presence of depression in heavy smartphone users compared to a control group. Twenty healthy students participated in the study. The participants were recruited from Sahmyook University and were divided into a heavy user group (n=10) and a control group (n=10) according to smartphone addiction proneness. All protocols and procedures were approved by the Institutional Review Board of Sahmyook University (Seoul, South Korea) and all the subjects signed a statement of informed consent. Participants in both groups were assessed for their pain pressure threshold of the sternocleidomastoid and upper trapezius muscles, craniovertebral angle and head position angle, and depression. When comparing the results between the two groups, there were significant differences in the pain threshold of the sternocleidomastoid and upper trapezius muscles, head position angle, and depression (p